[ALBUM] Fearless – Taylor Swift

-Track Listing-

1. Fearless

2. Fifteen

3. Love Story

4. Hey Stephen

5. White Horse

6. You Belong With Me

7. Breathe (Duet with Colbie Caillat)

8. Tell Me Why

9. You’re Not Sorry

10. The Way I Loved You

11. Forever And Always

12. The Best Day

13. Change

I’ve been wanting to review this album for a long time now. Yeah, I liked Taylor’s debut album but I just looooooved her second album, every song! This album was released on November 11, 2008 and became #1 on the US billboard charts selling 592,304 copies in its first week. Within 2 months this album has sold 2.11 million copies. According to Billboard, Fearless is the third best-selling album of 2008 with 2.11 million copies sold, behind only Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter III and Coldplay’s Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends. I became a Taylor Swift fan with her self-titled debut album but with Fearless I now idolize her. With more than half of the tracks written by Taylor, this 18 year old has shown what talent really means!

The first track of the album Fearless really shows how Taylor can be fearless! The lyrics are amazing and so is Taylor’s vocal. Fearless is a great opening for the album.

Fifteen, the next track is as good as the previous one. This track tells us about a fifteen year old’s first love, her dreams. The music  arrangements goes perfectly with the beautifully written lyrics.

The next track Love Story was the first single from this album and by far one of my favourite tracks from this album, of course I love all other tracks as well. Love Story narrarates the story of Romeo and Juliet. The music is mid-tempo with instruments like guitar and banjo.

The next track is Hey Stephen. Taylor defiantely has no fear mentioning names. This track obviuosly about a guy named Stephen whom she probably knew. This track shows that Taylor indeed is fearless.

The fifth track, White Horse is the 2nd single from the album. This was also used as an insert song for an episode of Grey’s Anatomy. White Horse is beautiful ballad song about a girls dream of her prince coming on a white horse but realizing that she herself that this isn’t a fairytale. The arrangements and Taylor’s vocals brings this song to life.

You Belong With Me, the next track is more upbeat with a little country feel to it.

Breathe is a duet with Colbie Caillat. The music arrangements with the vocals of Taylor and Colbie makes this ballad a defiantely must listen from this album.

Tell Me Why is the next track where we get another country feel from Taylor. Another upbeat track in this album.

We have another ballad as the next track and trsut me it’s good. You’re Not Sorry, is very well written. With Taylor’s vocals and the arrangements, this song really shows her talent, not that all the others don’t.

The Way I Loved You begins with a guitar and slowly with Taylor’s voice. I particuraly love the chorus where we hear Taylor’s voice more loud and nice.

Forever And Always, was a last minute additon the the album and I’m glad it was! Taylor has written this amazingly. I just love the music along with the chorus “Oh, and it rains in your bedroom, everything is wrong, It rains when you’re here and it rains when you’re gone”. Very catchy song.

The Best Day, unlike any tracks from this album shows Taylor’s more subtle side. The vocals are just right with the music.

And of course this amazing album has to end with an equally amazing track. Change, is just the right track to end the album. This track is spirited and awesome with Taylor’s high vocals.

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Rating: A+

I just loved this album and I just hope Taylor’s next album is as good as this one, even better! With her debut album selling 3 million copies and her sophomore one selling 2 million (still charting), this country girl has shown that a girl can really rock the world!

Official Website

[SINGLE] PAPER MOON – Tommy Heavenly6

-Track Listing-

1. PAPER MOON

2. Ruby Shoes

3. PAPER MOON (Instrumental)

Tomoko Kawase’s back!!! Yeah and this time it’s her 9th single as the amazing gothic Tommy Heavely6. This single charted #10 on the oricon weekly chart and was used as the 2nd opening for the anime Soul Eater.

PAPER MOON starts out with heavy drum beating and guitar. Tommy’s sinister like vocals as usual is awesome and goes very well with the heavy rock music.  This track gives us one of the best tommy tracks next to her february6 single ♥Lonely in Gorgeous♥.

Ruby Shoes isn’t that bad either. Not as sinister as the previous track, this track has more of rockish pop feeling to it.

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Rating: A+

After a year without any releases from Tomoko I’m really happy with PAPER MOON.

Official Website

[ALBUM] LOVE LETTER – Ai Otsuka

-Track Listing-

1. LOVE LETTER

2.Rocket Sneaker

3.Bye Bye

4.Kurage, Nagare Boshi

5.Ningyou

6.Kimi Fechi

7.Creamy & Spicy

8.Do☆Positive

9.360°

10.Shachihata

11.One × Time

12.Pocket

13.Ai

Ai Otsuka’s 5th studio album released on December 17, 2008. This album charted at no. #3 on the oricon weekly charts selling 104,232 copies. Ai’s back with her 5th album and it’s as cute as ever!!!

The first track LOVE LETTER is a very slow ballad. It begins with no music but with Ai’s vocals. Then we slowly hear the piano with Ai’s vocal. The song uses only the piano as an instrument. Compared to Ai’s previous ballads like Planatarium and Kingyo Hanabi, this song is very different nonetheless still good.

The second track Rocket Sneaker was the 2nd single from LOVE LETTER along with One × Time and one of Ai’s upbeat songs. After listening to the sad LOVE LETTER, this song lightens you up.

After Rocket Sneaker we hear another of Ai’s upbeat song and one of my favoutite from this album, Bye Bye. The chorus of this song is very catchy. This song is more upbeat than Rocket Sneaker with more rock sounds and shows one of Ai’s more pop personality.

Next is one of Ai’s very nice ballad, Kurage, Nagare Boshi. Ai’s vocal blends with the music arrangements perfectly making this one of the best song in the album.

The next track Ningyou is another ballad which starts of with low vocals and then goes to high vocals. I like the arrangements of the vocals in this song as it goes from low to high and then low again.

Kimi Fechi, the next track in this album, according to me has a nice opening. Ai’s vocal in this track is neither high nor low but perfect with the music arrangement.

The next track, Creamy & Spicy definitely goes to my favorite list of Ai’s crazy and upbeat songs. The way she goes “la la la” and “Creamy & Spicy” is too cute!

Do☆Positive was one of the three tracks along with 360° and Ai used to promote this album. The music is very rockish and very country like. This song is completely different from other Ai’s song such as CHU-LIP and I love it!

360°, the next track in this album starts with an amazing piano music. We hear the piano music throughout the song. The piano music is really amazing though Ai’s vocal’s in my opinion wasn’t that good with only saying “Merry Go Round”.

The next track in the album, Shachihata gives us a new Ai. Her voice as never heard before. The song has a very typical jazz music. There’s not much of a lyrics in this song beside, Ai going all “Da ba da ba”. The song overall isn’t that bad. Nice to listen.

One × Time, the next track in this album was releases as a double A-side single with Rocket Sneaker. I found this song to be better than Rocket Sneaker with Ai’s vocal just right with the arrangements.

Next is Ai’s first single of this album, Pocket. This single was released last year. Probably one of my favourite winter ballads since Mika Nakashima’s Yuki No Hana.

The ending track of this album is the ballad, Ai. The music is just perfect with Ai’s vocal. The album ends perfectly with this beautiful ballad.

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Rating: A-

Overall Ai hasn’t dissappointed us with her previous albums and neither has she done so with this one. So go and grab your copy of LOVE LETTER now!

Ai Otsuka’s Official Website